Ideology is being replaced by standards. Never-ending arguments about privatization, who should own the electricity company, have given way to public discussions about performance, who can avoid more black-outs.

In a week I found underwhelming, who will be the bottom three? I'd say Aaron, Casey and Michael with Aaron and Casey in the bottom two and Casey going home. What did you think of the singers and their song choices?

Instead of looking for consensus on already politically programmed talking points, we could instead identify a high level goal that would be easy for everyone to agree upon -- "Universal Well Being for all Americans."

Tthe Common Core Standards released contain a notable omission: social studies. That's because the thorniest debates start when you start tinkering with that age-old question of who gets to write history.

No Child Left Behind is fading from policy discussions, but it continues to shape daily life in schools in a very negative way. Capitol Hill should not forget about the law. Teachers certainly haven't.